as in question
an interrogative expression often used to test knowledge
though she phrased it as an interrogative, it was clear that the utterance was more of a command
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quizzical
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of interrogative
James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2019
But Zuckerberg didn’t reply to any hallway interrogatives.
—Chad Pergram, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2018
Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
That single shift, from declarative to interrogative, forces the employee to do the thinking.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The statues felt interrogative, like something or someone was already disappointed in me.
—Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 12 Sep. 2024
The series takes an interrogative approach to its source material, framing Rice’s iconic goth novel and its 1994 film adaptation as the previous version of its story, one in which the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) lies and deceives his interviewer, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian).
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 May 2024
Audit your schedule with this interrogative prompt.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Her interrogative installations use collage, painting and light to create off kilter realities laced with social commentary.
—Briana Miller, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023
These law enforcement officers had been trained in all the interrogative techniques that are utilized to elicit a confession.
—Eric Fleischauer The Decatur Daily, al, 2 Dec. 2022
Other interrogative terms typically solicit specific information.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 17 Aug. 2022
Noun
How about: to the huge, throbbing interrogative that is America at the end of 2019.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2019
But Zuckerberg didn’t reply to any hallway interrogatives.
—Chad Pergram, Fox News, 11 Apr. 2018
Adjective
Hockney’s paintings and drawings, as well as his later photo collages and digital works, invariably had a playful, exploratory, interrogative relationship with perspective, light, scale, framing, rendering—the basic components of picture-making.
—Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026
That single shift, from declarative to interrogative, forces the employee to do the thinking.
—Mark Murphy, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The statues felt interrogative, like something or someone was already disappointed in me.
—Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 12 Sep. 2024
The series takes an interrogative approach to its source material, framing Rice’s iconic goth novel and its 1994 film adaptation as the previous version of its story, one in which the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) lies and deceives his interviewer, Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian).
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 10 May 2024
Audit your schedule with this interrogative prompt.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024
Her interrogative installations use collage, painting and light to create off kilter realities laced with social commentary.
—Briana Miller, oregonlive, 8 Sep. 2023
These law enforcement officers had been trained in all the interrogative techniques that are utilized to elicit a confession.
—Eric Fleischauer The Decatur Daily, al, 2 Dec. 2022
Other interrogative terms typically solicit specific information.
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 17 Aug. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for interrogative
Noun
-
Los Angeles police Friday released bodycam footage of an officer killing a woman’s pet dog in a case that has sparked outrage and questions.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
-
The report comes as the rupiah sits at a record low versus the dollar, with questions about the country’s fiscal health rampant and trouble with capital outflows.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
19 June 2026
Adjective
-
By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Carpenter responded with a quizzical frown.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Drawing on inquisitorial records, Ginzburg showed how power and resistance are embedded in the same documents, using small-scale cases to illuminate broader tensions between elite and popular culture, and between authority and dissent.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 June 2026
-
Universities and research institutions face inquisitorial scrutiny.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Where does personalisation become intrusive?—
Kate Hardcastle,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Critics said at the time the inspections were not intrusive enough, and that the agreement was time-limited, rather than a permanent solution.—
Justin Fishel,
ABC News,
18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Interrogative.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/interrogative. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
